29 questions

Straight answers on product photography for online stores

What store owners ask before they book a shoot or try something else: which photos to get, what they cost and what makes them sell.

Product imageryPhotographs for your store, built around the products you already sell.Product videoThe same product, moving. Product motion and hero cuts.

In-depth answers

15 questions

Quick answers on product photography

Short answers to the questions that do not need a whole page.

Where do I get lifestyle product photography done?

From a product photographer who shoots on location or on a styled studio set, or from a studio that makes lifestyle scenes from photos of your product. A location shoot suits products that need real people or places. For furniture, homewares and packaged goods, Bartley Studio makes room and lifestyle scenes from a couple of phone photos of each product, finished by hand.

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Do I have to send my products to a photographer and wait weeks?

No. Bartley Studio works from a couple of phone photos of each product, taken in daylight (the front, one other angle and a close-up of the material), with a note on what it is made of and its size, so nothing is posted. The first look arrives in 2 to 3 working days, and delivery is usually within the week.

What's a realistic cost per SKU for catalogue imagery at scale, and how fast can it turn around?

At Bartley Studio, 10 products with 8 images each comes to $2,040 plus GST, or $204 per SKU. The formula is $150 per project, plus $50 setup per product with a scale discount, plus $25 per image, falling to as low as 55% of that rate with volume. The first look arrives in 2 to 3 working days; for a large catalogue, get your price.

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My colour samples aren't ready. Do I need to photograph every colour variant, or can photos be recoloured?

You do not need a separate shoot for every colour. One master set can be recoloured for each variant, as long as whoever edits it has a true reference for each colour, such as a swatch photographed in daylight. Each colour still needs its own images, because the listing should show the colour being sold, and a guessed colour leads to returns.

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Who owns the copyright to my product photos: me or the photographer?

It depends on your contract and your country. In Australia, unless agreed otherwise, the photographer owns copyright in photos commissioned for business use. New Zealand’s default has favoured the person who commissions and pays, and that rule is under review, so get ownership in writing either way. With Bartley Studio, you own the delivered images on full payment, worldwide and indefinitely, with no separate licence.

How do I show the size of a product so customers stop returning it?

Show it next to things everyone knows the size of: in a room beside a chair or a doorway, in a hand, or worn. Add an image with the dimensions marked, and put the measurements near the price. Baymard Institute found that 42% of users try to judge a product’s size from its images.

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How many product images, and which angles, does each product need?

Enough to answer what a buyer would check in a shop: the front, a three-quarter view, the back or side, a close-up of the material, a photo that shows the size, and the product in use or in a room. A simple product may need four or five; furniture and clothing usually need more. Use the same angles for every product, so the catalogue matches.

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How do I photograph rugs so colour and texture show properly?

Photograph the whole rug from directly above in soft daylight, with the room lights off, to show its true shape and colour. Then take a low-angle close-up with the light coming from one side, so the pile and weave cast small shadows. Add the corner and the back for handmade rugs, and a room shot to show its size against furniture.

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Can I get product photos before my stock arrives, from a sample or prototype?

Yes, if you have a sample or prototype that matches the production run. Bartley Studio makes product frames from a couple of phone photos of the sample, so the product page and ads can be ready before the stock lands. If the production colour or finish changes, update the photos, because the listing has to match what customers receive.

What should a product photography quote include: retouching, licensing, usage?

The number of finished images and which views, the retouching included, who owns the images and where you can use them, the revisions, the file sizes, the turnaround, and every extra such as styling, models, location and freight. Check whether prices include GST. Bartley Studio delivers two sets of files, web-compressed and full resolution, and you own them on full payment.

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How do I find a good product photographer in Melbourne, Sydney or Auckland?

Start with portfolios in your category, because a studio that lights jewellery well may not light a sofa well. Ask each one to quote the same shot list, with retouching, usage rights, freight and turnaround spelled out. If freight is the obstacle, Bartley Studio makes product frames from phone photos, wherever you are in Australia or New Zealand.

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What images do Meta catalogue and Google Shopping need?

Google wants a clean, unobstructed view of the exact variant being sold, with no added text, watermarks or borders, and at least 500 x 500 pixels for all products from 31 January 2027, with 1500 x 1500 or larger recommended. Images made with generative AI must keep their AI metadata. The same clean main image suits Meta’s catalogue, with additional images in the feed where you have them.

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How many photos do skincare and wellness brands need per product?

Five kinds of photo cover most skincare and wellness products: the front of the pack on a clean background, the back with the label legible, the texture of the product itself, the pack in a hand for scale, and one or two in use. Add images for each size or scent you sell. Treat before-and-after photos with care, because each one is a claim that has to be true.

Can glossy or reflective packaging (skincare, drinks) be photographed well?

Yes. Glossy packaging is lit with large, soft light sources placed so the reflections become clean highlights along the edges, with black or white cards to shape them, and a polarising filter can cut glare on the label. Retouching cleans up the rest. In made scenes, the reflections have to match the setting, which is part of finishing each frame by hand.

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